Delusional Imitation
by Godlybunny
Summary: When Shirou is dragged into the Holy Grail War, his life is forever changed.  What Rin can't understand is, how could a talentless hack like Emiya have TWO Servants?


**A/N: Whew! Been pretty busy just hammering this out in between classes, homework, watching anime, etc. I don't know how far this will go, I know I probably won't finish this, but here's the first chapter.**

**A big shout out to PYTWOTL and Kent Vonce for helping me iron out some discrepancies in the story.**

**R&R people! If you don't like my writing, then please review so I can improve! And if you like it, then tell me!**

**~Godlybunny**

* * *

**_STORY START:_**

Rin was exhilarated. She was going to summon a Saber Servant, she just knew it! Her magic circle was already inscribed on the floor and she had been waiting for 2 o'clock A.M., when her magical powers were at their highest. Clutched in her hand was her father's jewel, which she was using as a backup in case her own supply of prana wasn't enough. As the clock struck two, she placed five jewels at the five points of her magic circle and began chanting in German.

_Ye first, O silver, O iron _

_O stone of the foundation, O Archduke of the Contract _

_Hear me in the name of our great teacher, the Archmagus Schweinorg _

_Let the descending winds be as a wall _

_Let the gates in all directions be shut, rising above the crown, and let the three-forked roads to the Kingdom revolve. _

_Shut. Shut. Shut. Shut. Shut. _

_Five perfections for each repetition. _

_And now, let the filled sigils be annihilated in my stead! _

_Set. _

_Let thy body rest under my dominion; let my fate rest in thy blade. _

_If thou submittest to the call of the Holy Grail and if thou wilt obey this mind, this reason, then thou shalt respond. _

_I make my oath here. _

_I am that person who is to become the virtue of all Heavens. _

_I am that person who is covered with the evil of all Hades. _

_Thou seven heavens, clad in a trinity of words, _

_come past thy restraining rings, and be thou the hands that protect the balance-!_

As she spoke the last line, she opened her hand and let a single drop of blood fall.

_Guardian of the Heavens!_

She felt the ritual complete and opened her eyes excitedly to view her top-class Servant. And stared blankly at the opposite wall of the room.

"What did I do wrong?" the black haired girl asked, disappointed, when a large crash shook the house. '_The living room?'_ she thought as she ran upstairs. The door was blocked, and it took her three tries before she reinforced her body and rammed it. The door crashed open to reveal the living room.

Moonlight shone down from the hole in the roof, and the furniture was a mess. Nonchalantly sprawled on a combination of the dresser and the remains of a sofa was a dark-skinned, white haired man. He wore black armor of a substance that Rin couldn't identify with a small red jacket and waist cape.

His grey eyes opened and he eyed Rin with a smirk. "Well, I seem to have been summoned by a very interesting Master, indeed," he drawled.

"Archer! Archer!" Rin fumed in the privacy of her bedroom. "I was aiming for a Saber! How in the world could I get an Archer?"

"Probably your lack of skill." Archer appeared and smirked. The smirk quickly disappeared as Rin launched a kick at him.

"How dare you! I am Tohsaka Rin, heir to the Tohsaka family! Something must've gone wrong!" It wasn't the clocks; she'd found that problem and quickly fixed it. She stared daggers at Archer. "Just who are you anyway?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. It must be due to your incomplete summoning."

She growled in frustration and stalked off to the kitchen to make some tea.

Rin took a deep breath after sipping a good portion of her tea. Archer stood off to the side, arms crossed.

"So you don't remember what your identity is," the girl said.

"Correct, Master," Archer said, eyes closed. "There are little bits and pieces, but nowhere near enough to figure out who I was or my identity."

Rin sighed. "Well, there's nothing I can do about it." She took one last sip of her tea, then stood. "I'm going to bed. Clean up the tea and the room upstairs, and then familiarize yourself with the house and the nearby area. We'll scout the town tomorrow night."

"I refuse."

She froze, and then turned around, with a calm smile on her face. Archer stepped back involuntarily, a chill going down his spine.

"You dare disobey your Master?" She rolled up her sleeve to reveal her Command Spells. "You dare disobey?"

Archer held up his hands. "Rin, there's no need to…"

But it was too late. "Archer, I command you to obey everything I say!"

Archer sighed as one of the Seals faded. "What a…" he started, and then felt the effects of the Spell. They were stronger than he'd expected, enough to discourage him from resisting her orders. "Well," he said, "That worked in your favor, Rin. Normally orders that broad and general would have little effect."

Rin sighed. "You're right. That was a waste." She turned around. "I'm going to bed. You know what to do."

Archer stood still. '_Emiya Shirou',_ he thought to himself, '_I will kill you, and free you and I from this wretched existence_.' He slowly started cleaning up.

_Beeepbeeepbeeep_. Rin groaned and pounded the sleep button. Ten minutes later, she repeated the action. The third time, she hit an empty table and looked up sleepily. Archer stood just a few feet away, with the alarm in his hand.

"Rin, you should wake up. You have school today, right?"

Rin grumbled darkly about 'mornings' and turned over, burrowing over the covers. A moment later, she shrieked as the covers were ripped off her bed and the window was opened. She glared at Archer, who had the sheets in pile at his feet by the window.

"What are you doing in my bedroom!" she yelled, and then realized that she was still in her nightclothes.

"Black lace, huh?" Archer observed, and ducked a pillow. "It fits you, Rin. By the way, breakfast is ready," he said, before he astralized and made a quick escape.

Rin glared at the space where he'd been, then yawned and forced herself out of bed.

Breakfast was simple toast and tea. Archer was working at the kitchen. "Butter or jam?" he asked.

"Both," Rin said as she sat at the table. She sighed. "I don't really want to go to school today, but it can't be helped." She sighed again as her toast was served to her. She took a couple bites, then set it down. "Get ready Archer," she said as she stood up to go get her red jacket. Archer dumped the toast in the trash and astralized.

"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" Fujimura Taiga cried as she sprinted down the street, her handbag clutched in hand. "I still need to grade those tests!" she wailed as she turned the corner. Shirou laughed openly and Sakura giggled behind her hand.

After locking the door to the Emiya residence, the two classmates started down the street.

"You know, Sakura, you don't need to come every day. I'm sure you have better things to do on a weekend."

"Oh no, Sempai," Sakura assured him, "I don't mind it at all. In fact, I enjoy it." Turning her head away, she blushed, but Shirou didn't notice.

"Well, if you're sure."

As they walked, Sakura noticed Shirou's hand, which was dripping blood. "Sempai!" she cried, and grabbed his hand.

"Oh," he said as he looked at his hand. "Must've cut it accidently last night."

Sakura looked worried. "Are you sure Sempai? Maybe you should have it looked at."

Shirou shook his head. "It doesn't hurt. I'll be fine," he said as he started crossing the street.

Sakura was about to follow him when she saw the car. "Sempai!" the plum-haired girl shrieked.

Shirou immediately threw himself backwards, and not a moment too soon. The car roared past, honking its horn angrily as it screeched around the corner.

As Shirou stared after it, Sakura shouted, "Be careful Sempai!"

"I'm sorry," Shirou said, forgetting about the car as Sakura fretted. "I'll be more careful next time." As they set off, neither noticed a second wound that started bleeding into his undershirt on his right shoulder.

After school, Shirou was leaving the school grounds when Shinji walked up to him, two girls hanging off his arms.

"And this is Emiya, the nicest guy who ever lived. He's really helpful, especially if you have chores to do."

"Hey Shinji," Shirou greeted.

"Hey Emiya, would you mind doing me a favor? See, I'm busy right now, so could you clean the entire archery dojo?" The girls gasped, sure that Shirou would refuse.

"Sure, I'm free. Don't worry about it."

Shinji grinned and turned to the girls. "Well, see? I told you he was the nicest guy who ever lived." He walked away; calling over his shoulder, "Have fun, Emiya!"

Shirou waved, then started off towards the dojo. He rolled up his sleeves and thought to himself, '_Well, I better get started if I want to finish before nightfall_.'

Rin stood atop a tall building, her skirt and hair blowing in the wind. She shivered a bit. Maybe she should reconsider wearing her skirt at night.

Archer materialized beside her and said, "If we'd found this building earlier, we wouldn't have had to walk all over the city this afternoon."

"But from here, you can only grasp the layout of the city," she said.

Archer grinned. "You underestimate my skills of the Archer class. I can see almost everything from here. I can even count the number of rivets on that bridge over there," he said, pointing to said bridge.

"Wow," Rin said, and meant it. The bridge was a huge distance away; she could barely make out the much larger cars crossing it, much less the rivets.

She walked forwards and without hesitation, vaulted the railing and fell towards the streets below. Not a second later, she felt the arms of her Servant encircle her and support her as he started flying. "Where to, Rin?" he asked.

"The school. I want to check without all the students there."

"Whatever you say Rin. You're the Master in this relationship." Archer's chuckles were cut off as Rin punched him.

"Sh-shut up!" the girl stammered. "Just hurry up and go, you jerk!"

Shirou wiped off his face with his sleeve. The floor of the dojo practically gleamed, and it was getting late. He had spent extra care on cleaning the floor and the rest of the dojo, and as a result, he was later than he had expected.

Donning his school jacket, he locked up the dojo and was turning the corner of the main building to start towards the gate when he heard clashing metal. Curiously, he looked around the corner to see two men battling each other. Instinctively, he backed up so he was hidden by the corner and watched.

The first man he turned his attention on was a man in blue. Outfitted with tight blue armor, the spiky-haired man whirled a crimson lance about him with practiced ease. Whirling, he struck at the other man, and then started a lightning fast series of thrusts.

The other had tanned skin that contrasted with his white hair. Underneath his strange red jacket, he wore a black armor that fit to his body, with black leather pants and boots. He fought with two huge Chinese falchions, with one as black as the night itself, and the other a blinding ivory white. As he blocked a particularly powerful blow, his swords shattered. With a savage speed, the lance wielding man lunged forwards, only to be parried by a new set of identical blades. As the spiky haired man continued his attack unfazed, it became clear that it was not the first time the white haired man had done that.

Off to the side, he spotted a girl firing odd-looking dark spots towards the man in blue and his heart stopped. '_Tohsaka?'_

He stepped back involuntarily and noisily snapped a dry branch. The fighting immediately ceased as everyone's attention turned towards him. Filled with sudden fear, Shirou turned and ran towards the main building, crashing through the main doors.

Archer's impressive display of close combat skills surprised Rin. She'd thought that an Archer class Servant would be useless at close range fighting, but he was holding his own with those odd black and white swords. As he fought with the Lancer Servant, his swords would constantly break, but they would reappear in his hands to block the Lancer's attack.

"Heh," the Lancer class Servant said. "An Archer Servant, pretending to be a swordsman? Well, we'll just have to fight this out, won't we?" He attacked viciously, attacking with lightning fast thrusts.

Archer swatted the thrusts aside and countered with his twin swords, Bakuya and Kanshou. They clashed again and again, with Archer's swords breaking multiple times. However, each time, they reappeared in his hands in time to block the next attack.

All three combatants swiveled as they heard a small _crack._ They saw the retreating back of a young boy, with the school uniform of Homurabara Gakuen.

Lancer immediately took off after the boy as Rin cursed. "Dammit, I didn't think anyone would be here this late. After him!" she cried to Archer.

Reinforcing her legs, she dashed after the Lancer, knowing it was hopeless to try and catch up to the fastest Servant. But she could try.

Running up the stairs, she was on the second floor when she heard a pained cry. Cursing, she kept running until she hit the fourth floor.

Just down the hallway, the boy slumped against the wall. As Rin approached him, her heart missed a beat as she recognized him.

"Oh no. Why did…why did it have to be you?" she whispered, as she looked down upon the dying body of Emiya Shirou. Rin knew her sister had a huge crush on him, and, to be honest, she had a little crush on him too. Without hesitation, she drew her father's pendant out of her pocket.

"Rin, are you sure about using that on _him_?" Archer spat.

"Shut up Archer. Go after Lancer. He should be returning to his Master now, we should at least discover his identity," she snapped and knelt down beside him

There was only silence as Archer astralized and sped after Lancer.

There must've been an enchantment on Lancer's spear, and the wound would be difficult to heal. With her energy and the energy from her father's pendant, she could achieve it. Crouching beside him, she started muttering a healing spell.

Shirou awoke and took a deep breath. He was collapsed against the wall of Class 4-B. '_I thought I died'_, he thought hazily, before coming to his senses. His hand clutched a red jewel on a chain, and his uniform had a bloodstained rip right over his heart. With unnatural calmness, he prodded the rip. As he took his hand away, he realized that it was covered in blood.

He vaguely remembered someone standing over him. That must've been who had saved him. Unfortunately, his memory was hazy and he couldn't remember just who it had been.

Weakly, he stood and started making his way down the stairs. It was late, and he didn't know how long he'd been out.

Rin sipped her tea. "Did you find Lancer's Master?"

Archer sighed as he sat down. "No, his Master must be very cautious. I do know, however, that his Master isn't on this side of town." He leaned forward and fixed Rin with a sharp look. "What I want to know is why you used that jewel to save that boy."

Rin flushed. "S-shut up! I have plenty of jewels, so you shouldn't be stingy!"

Archer remained serious. "It's not the jewel I'm worried about, Rin, it's the action and your reasons. That boy was a witness. No one should know, let alone witness our war. If someone is to see us, then it is our duty to silence them. Permanently."

Rin sighed. "I know that, but…"

"Even Lancer prioritized that over our battle. You do realize that he'll realize that he's still alive sooner or later."

The black-haired girl suddenly froze and dropped her teacup, letting it shatter into hundreds of fragments.

"That's right. If that boy still lives, Lancer won't let that stand. He'll take him out, and I'm guessing sooner than later."

Shirou walked towards the house, his hand clutching the pendant that must've belonged to his mysterious savior. He could still smell the food from dinner. He stepped warily into the house, but all was still.

Shirou walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. He took a deep breath and sighed. '_Who were they?'_ he thought. '_Could they be spirits? No, they had bodies and they were trying to kill each other.'_ He felt his chest, where a phantom pain snapped through him. '_I was killed. I know that, I was hit in the heart. How am I alive?'_

Suddenly, something penetrated the barrier field surrounding the Emiya residence. '_Shit, he followed me!'_ Shirou tried to get up, but tripped and fell, his hand landing on the metal poster that Fuji-nee had smashed his head with earlier.

'_Well, this is better than nothing_.' "Trace on!" he whispered, and felt the burning pain of creating his Magic Circuit. "Basic structure: Analyzed! Material composition: Confirmed! Strengthening: Complete!" He gripped the poster and stood ready, his back to the wall.

The blood-red lance appeared at the corner of his vision and he whirled, batting it away. Lancer laughed in delight. "What a surprise!" he exclaimed. "I made it painless the first time, but this is the first time I've had to kill someone twice in one day!" He twirled the lance and held it high, over his head. He sank low and smirked. "Don't get lost on the way to hell this time!" he yelled as he launched himself forward.

Shirou barely had time to parry the blow before Lancer's knee made contact with his ribs.

"AAAAUUGGHH!" Shirou cried as he smashed through the window. He slid across the grass from the force of the blow. He barely kept hold of the battered metal poster.

Lancer smirked and lithely jumped through the window. "Ah. I see how it is. Despite that weak amount of power, you're a magus." He launched forwards and swung his spear around. Shirou barely had time to block it with the poster before Lancer kicked him again. He flew backwards into his workshop, hitting the ground with a hard thud. The battered poster rolled away, out of his reach.

Lancer stalked up to the door of the workshop and ripped it away. He walked inside and said, "Too bad, kid. You could have been the seventh." He readied his spear.

Shirou backed away. '_Is this how I'm going to die? I'm going to die, without saving anybody? Is my death going to be meaningless? No, I don't want to die!'_

"Help!" he shouted. At that moment, two things happened. First, a summoning circle half hidden by dust in the corner began to glow, brighter and brighter. Second, a Command Spell on his right shoulder disappeared.

Suddenly, a rift opened just a few feet away from Lancer and two people leapt out of it. Lancer cursed and turned around, attacking with his spear. With a whirl, he stabbed forwards.

One of the figures blocked the spear with two dark daggers while the other one dashed out the door and disappeared.

As the young man defended against Lancer, the magic circle completed its summoning, and out leapt a young woman. With a yell, she struck at Lancer with her empty hands.

Lancer cursed again and leapt out the door; gaining some much needed space for his spear.

The girl turned towards Shirou, who was still backed against the wall. "I ask of you, are you my Master?" she asked solemnly as the two other people fought against Lancer.

The first thing that Shirou noticed about her was how beautiful she was. She was wearing an armored blue dress that complemented both her blonde hair and her green eyes. She held herself with an almost regal air, with a straight, proud stance and look.

The second was how young she looked. She couldn't have been more than a year older than him, yet there was that regal air and battle readiness about her.

"W-w-w-what?" Shirou stuttered. "Master? What are you talking about?"

Saber frowned. "I am the Servant Saber. Again, I ask of you, are you my Master?"

"Um, yes?" Shirou tried.

"Then I will protect you to the best of my ability." Saber turned and ran out the door.

"Wait!" Shirou yelled, and ran after her.

Lancer snarled as he fought the two combatants. '_Just who are they?'_ he wondered as he blocked an attack from behind. The combatants, a man and a girl, seemed to know where the other was at any given moment. Not only that, but he couldn't sense their locations at all, and their faces were covered with bone white, skeletal masks. '_Assassin'_, he realized. '_Somehow, these two are Assassin Servants.'_

He sent a powerful attack towards the male Servant, but he expertly blocked with one dagger and threw his other dagger straight at Lancer. He cursed and jumped aside as another dagger flew from the opposite direction. The female Servant stood out of reach, with a dagger between each of her fingers. Lancer lunged towards her with his spear, but she danced away and started throwing her daggers. Each time she ran out, more would materialize in her hands and she would continue throwing them.

Lancer leapt back as the Saber Servant joined the battle. She yelled and thrust her hands at him. Only when her sword scraped his cheek did he realize that she was wielding an invisible sword. Lancer laughed as he blocked and parried all the attacks, effortlessly batting away the thrown daggers as if they were mere nuisances. His real opponents were the man and Saber. Both fought close range and took advantage of every opening he revealed while blocking the female Servant's projectiles.

"Isn't three against one cheating?" Lancer cracked as he blocked Saber's invisible sword. He used the force from her blow to spin, parry a dagger that almost reached his face, and knock away the male Assassin's dagger. He leapt back; gaining distance while the three Servants cautiously approached him.

"How about we call this a draw?" he said as he crouched low, very low. He gripped the lance with a firm grip and angled it downward. An ominous presence radiated outward from the lance as it began to glow a demonic red.

"I refuse your proposal! I will defeat you here!" Saber shouted, and stood firm with her sword at the ready. On cue, the two Assassin Servants took their stances, the male Assassin putting most of his weight on his right leg while flipping his daggers into reverse grips, and the female Assassin lifting a leg and filling her hands with daggers, ready to throw them and move instantly.

"Gáe Bolg!" Lancer shouted, and lunged forwards. The lance glinted hungrily, and moved faster than even Saber could see. It pierced her armor, just missing her heart.

"Tch!" Lancer turned away. "I'll just excuse myself now," he said, and jumped, astralizing as he did so.

Saber stared after him, then leaned on her sword, panting. The Assassin Servants stood off to the side.

"Explain yourself!" Saber ordered the Assassin servants. "Who are you, and how did you get here?"

The Assassins remained silent. Instead, they walked over to Shirou and knelt before him. "Master, awaiting orders," the male one said. The female one remained silent.

"Why do you keep calling me Master?" Shirou cried. "I don't even know what's going on!"

"So you're an illegitimate Master?" Saber asked.

"I don't know." Shirou said. Pain flared through his hand and upper right shoulder. Gasping with pain, he almost missed the departure of his Servants. "Wait!" he cried to his Servants, who disappeared over the wall of the Emiya residence. He ran over to the door and crashed through to see Saber and the Assassins fighting the man in red.

"Rrraaahhh!" Saber yelled as she struck with a powerful blow. Leaping backwards, the man's swords broke as he tried to block. He barely escaped injury as he backpedaled.

"Stop, Saber!" Shirou yelled. A Command Spell disappeared to enforce his Command.

"Archer, retreat!" Archer tsked angrily but obeyed.

Saber halted and turned towards Shirou angrily. "This is Archer!" she yelled. "If we take them out now, then that's one less Master that we have to confront!"

"Master or not Master, I have no idea what's going on!" Shirou yelled back. He continued in a subdued tone. "I don't even know what you are. If you want to talk this out, then we can. Just please, stop this nonsense."

"What do you mean by nonsense?" Saber's tone darkened. "Enemies must be defeated, no matter who they are."

Shirou finally exploded. "Girls shouldn't swing around weapons like that!" he yelled. He turned to the female Assassin. "You too!" he accused. "Why are girls using weapons like this? It's not right!" He turned back to Saber. "Especially," he said, putting emphasis on the word, "if they are injured."

"So," a female voice said, laced with sarcasm, "when will you lower your sword?"

Saber tightened her grip on her sword and faced Archer's Master. "No sword will be lowered in the face of an enemy," she spat with a threatening tone."

Rin smiled as she spoke. "So a Servant as loyal as Saber refuses to obey her Master?" Her smile disappeared as the Assassins stepped forwards, ready to fight.

Shirou stepped back in surprise. "Tohsaka?" he whispered.

Rin's smile returned as she stared past the Assassins at Shirou. "Good evening, Emiya-kun," she said.

Rin sighed as she sipped her tea. "So you're a novice magus who doesn't know any of the basics or rudimentaries of being a magus. You can't cast the easiest of spells, yet you can reinforce to an extent. You somehow summoned a Saber Servant with your almost nonexistent power. Am I right so far?"

"Yep," Shirou said glumly. "Strengthening things is the only sorcery I can cast with some level of success."

Rin sighed again. "And you can't control any of the Five Elements?"

"No."

"And who are those two over there?" she asked, pointing to the two Assassin Servants.

The man looked at her. "I am Servant Assassin," he said flatly. "My Master is Emiya Shirou, and my companion and I are the Same Servant." The Assassins leaned against the wall, ready to move at short notice.

"What?" Rin exclaimed. "How is that…" She fell silent as she thought. "All Assassins are usually Hassan-i Sabah," she muttered to herself.

"That is correct," Assassin replied. He stared at the tea. "May I have some?" he asked, indicating the tea.

"Um, sure," Shirou said. Assassin moved forwards and sat next to Rin. Saber sipped her own tea, still irritated at Shirou.

"Before I get too sidetracked, I need to explain the Holy Grail War," Rin said. She set her tea down and started speaking. "In a way, the Holy Grail War is a game. Seven Masters are chosen for each War, and each one summons a Servant." Her gaze traveled to the two Assassins before she continued. "Each Master uses their Servant to fight for possession of the Holy Grail. You and I were chosen as Masters. Your Servant will obey you as long as you have your Command Seals. Command Seals allow you to give absolute orders. This way, even if your Servant refuses to obey, you can use a Command Seal to force them, even if it betrays their values or beliefs." She lifted her hand to display her Command Spells. "You should have yours on your hand.

Shirou lifted his hand to see a crimson red design etched onto his left hand.

Rin continued. "A Master starts off with three Command Spells. However," she added, "It looks like we've both used one already. You should have another set of Command Spells if Assassin is truly your Servant." She gestured to Shirou. "Take off your shirt."

Shirou promptly spit out his tea. Once he recovered, he exclaimed, "What? Why would I do that?"

"I don't see Command Seals on your right hand, so they must be somewhere else. Hurry up and take it off, or I'll do it myself."

Shirou backed away. "You wouldn't go that far, right Tohsaka? Tohsaka?"

The smile Rin gave him was enough to scare him into taking off his shirt. "Alright, alright! I'll do it!" With a grimace of pain, he slid his shirt over his head.

Rin pointed to his right shoulder. "There they are," she said calmly.

Shirou was flabbergasted. "But that's where my birthmark is!" he blurted. "It looks similar too!"

This time, it was Rin's turn to be confused. "You mean, you've had that before the War even started?" She got up and started pacing. "I don't know what this means," she muttered. "How could he have them before?"

"I think I can answer that."

Everyone, not including the male Assassin, turned to face the female Assassin in surprise. No one had heard her speak yet, so they'd forgotten about her.

The first one to speak was Saber. "What should we call you?" she said bluntly. "I continue to refer to you both as Assassin, but that won't work because there's two of you."

"Call me Hassan," the male Servant replied. "She'll be Sabah," he said, pointing to the female Assassin. Sabah nodded in response.

"Our memories are scrambled, but I think I can answer that," she repeated.

"What do you mean by scrambled?" Shirou asked, concerned. He'd managed to sneak his shirt back on and was currently cleaning up the tea he'd spit.

"She means in a jumble," Hassan said. "My memories are there, but they're out of order, and I can't make any sense of it at all. However," he added, "The only memories I can make sense of is my training."

Sabah nodded. "I'm the same," she said softly.

Rin leaned forward with interest. "So what do you know?" she asked earnestly.

Sabah shook her head. "I can't make any sense of my memories, but I do know one thing." She pointed towards Saber. "I recognize her. I know I've seen her before, before she was summoned today."

Saber frowned. "Then…" Her eyes widened, and then narrowed. "You're Assassin. From the previous War."

But Hassan was already shaking his head. "Not entirely," he said. "We're…" He paused and furrowed his brow. Then he cursed. "I lost it," he said.

Rin slammed her hands down on the table. "Assassin from the previous War?" she exclaimed. "How in the world is that possible? You'd need a constant supply of prana, right? How would you get that?"

Hassan snorted. "I have a contract with Emiya Shirou. That's enough for us. Despite his Command Spells not being active between Wars, there is still a connection."

"Wait," Shirou interrupted. "If I've had a contract with you all this time, then where were you?"

Hassan struggled to answer, but Sabah answered for him. "We do not remember," the girl said quietly.

Rin sighed. "Well," the black-haired girl said, rubbing her head. "This has been a long night."

For the past few minutes, Saber had been bowed over in thought. "Shirou," she suddenly said. "Your family name is Emiya, is it not?"

"Yeah, why?"

Saber shook her head. "Nothing. Forget it, Master."

Shirou suddenly stood. "Enough of this 'Master' stuff," he said abruptly. He made eye contact with each of his Servants. "My name is Shirou. Please call me by it."

"Okay, Shirou-san." Hassan said.

"Shirou-kun," Sabah whispered.

"Shirou-sama," Saber said firmly.

Shirou sighed. Rin just laughed behind her hand.

"Well," Rin said, after her laughter had subsided. "I suppose we should get going."

"To where?" Shirou asked, puzzled.

Rin's face turned grim. "To Kotomine Church, where the supervisor of the Holy Grail War lives."

"In that case," Hassan said, "Please do not bring me or Sabah along."

"Huh?" Shirou asked, perplexed. "Why not?"

"Because Kotomine was their Master in the Fourth Holy Grail War," Saber answered. She regarded them with a cold look. Hassan returned the look while Sabah looked away shyly.

"Why don't we just bring you?" Rin asked. "Kirei's just the supervisor of the War, in fact, he's probably already aware of you."

Hassan shook his head. "From what I remember," he said, "I never got along with him, and neither did Sabah. A lot of us didn't like him, but the overall majority did, so that's why we were summoned."

"A lot of us? What do you mean by that?" Shirou asked curiously.

Hassan shot a look towards Rin. "Not now, Shirou-san. It wouldn't do us good to reveal that in front of Archer's Master."

"But," Shirou said, when Saber cut him off.

"Assassin is right," she said. "We must not let information go to the enemy, because they would use that to their advantage."

Surprisingly, Rin nodded too. "Your Servants are right," the girl said without missing a beat. "You shouldn't reveal information to me, because after tonight, I'll be your enemy."

"But," Shirou started.

"Honestly?" Rin sighed. "Don't be so naïve, thinking that you can trust me. I'd just as soon kill you if you hadn't saved me tonight." She rose. "If there's nothing else, then let's go."

As Rin, Shirou, and Saber walked to Kotomine Church, Archer, still in spirit form, was deeply confused. Why were things so different? He should've been deeply wounded by Saber, and he didn't have those other Servant's before. What had happened? Nothing seemed to conform to his memories from before, even though they weren't 'gone' like he'd told Rin. There was no way he could reveal his identity to Rin, and it had to stay that way.

Another problem was now that the current events weren't as he remembered; it meant that he didn't have any way to predict future events. It was all new territory to him now, and he'd lost the home advantage.

Rin was equally confused. How could Emiya, a talentless hack who couldn't cast spells that were child's play, somehow possess two Servants, and one being a Saber Servant at that? She'd deserved Saber, not some novice magus who didn't even know the seven classes of the Holy Grail War. Things were not going to her plan. She was supposed to summon the _strongest_ Servant and win the War. Well, at least Emiya was the one who had summoned Saber. It meant that he wouldn't get in her way.

"Rin. Rin!" Rin snapped her head up to see Shirou peering into her eyes from a disturbingly close distance. She jumped and stammered, "Y-y-you idiot! What are you doing?"

"We're here," Saber said from beneath the filthy raincoat that she was wearing. Didn't Emiya have anything better for her to wear?

She fought down the blush that was creeping up her face as she marched forwards. "H-hurry up!" she snapped. "Let's get this over with.

As Shirou entered the threshold of the church, he almost gagged. _What is this disgusting feeling?_ he thought. _Something's not right in here._ As he pushed down the nauseous feeling in his stomach, a man stepped out from the back of the church.

One look, and Shirou instantly didn't like him. The man wore simple black clothes, a shirt and a pair of pants, with a pair of equally unimpressive leather shoes. The only thing that stood out was his mildly purple coat and the gleaming silver crucifix hanging around his neck. His head was covered with untidy, long brown hair, and his eyes were empty, holding only a semblance of life.

"Well, well, Rin. This must be the first time you've come to me for help," he said with a deep voice. He clasped his hands behind his back. "All the time you've been my apprentice, and it takes the Holy Grail War to come to me for help?" His voice held a mocking tone. Shirou tensed as he turned his gaze on him.

"Shut up," Rin said bluntly. "This is the Seventh Master of the War, Emiya Shirou. He may be a magus, but he's a complete amateur." The man twitched at the mention of Shirou's name, but Rin ignored it. "Emiya-kun, this is Kotomine Kirei, Supervisor of the Holy Grail War. He's also my legal guardian and my father's apprentice. I've known him for over ten years." In an undertone, she added, "I wish I hadn't met him too."

Kirei spread his arms wide. "Well, welcome, _Emiya Shirou_." There was a faint, bitter undertone when he spoke Shirou's name. "You have been chosen as a Master of the Holy Grail War, chosen to compete for the treasure of treasures. The Holy Grail."

"The Holy Grail?" Shirou's voice was filled with doubt. "You mean, _the_ Holy Grail?"

Kirei grinned lazily. "Yes. The Holy Grail can grant one wish, and seven Masters are summoned to see who is the most worthy to possess it. Each Master summons a Servant to aid them in their battle. Only the Servants can touch the Grail, but only the Master can make the wish. Thus, Masters and Servants must work together to win."

"But what if I don't want to fight?" Shirou asked. "I have no desire for this Holy Grail."

Kirei's gaze hardened. "You must fight. You were selected to fight in this War, and you will end up fighting." The certainty in his voice unnerved Shirou.

Kirei spoke again. "With the Holy Grail, your wishes can be granted, the filth within you cleansed. You could start over again, a second chance at life. Make a wise choice, Emiya Shirou." He smirked, his dull eyes glinting in the dim light. "If you wish to be rid of that scar from the flames, then accept these holy marks, the Command Mantra."

Shirou reeled. How could he know? Involuntarily, he remembered the flames, the screams, the smell of burning flesh, the…

"Kirei!" Rin snapped, bringing Shirou back to reality. "I only asked you to explain the rules to him! Don't just go off on your own!"

"Tch! Fine. Back to the subject at hand, this battle is called the Holy Grail War, a battle between seven Masters using their own Servants. We do not voluntarily take part in these killings, rather, it is all a ritual to choose the most suitable candidate to obtain the Holy Grail." Kirei stared at Shirou, unnerving him. "The Grail permits the summoning of the seven Servants, which are quite close to what a High Spirit is. They are legendary heroes form either the past or the present given flesh by the Holy Grail. Essentially, they stand by their Master in spiritual form, and you can materialize them and have them fight for you, if necessary. No, _when_ necessary, I should say."

"Emiya is different," Rin said, and Shirou froze. Was she going to reveal the existence of Assassin to Kotomine?

"His Saber can't go into spiritual form because her Master's a worthless fool," Rin said as she turned her head away. For a moment, Shirou was relieved. It was quickly replaced by anger. Worthless fool? '_Tohsaka, isn't that going a bit far? I mean, sure, I can't control the Five Elements, or cast beginner sorcery, or… Gah, she's right!'_

Kirei ignored them and continued. "The near-resurrection of the dead can essentially be called magic. The Holy Grail, having so much power, will be able to grant its possessor infinite power."

Shirou let out a breath. "Alright," he said, trying to absorb all the information. "Even assuming that there is a Holy Grail…"

"It's real," Rin said. Shirou ignored her.

"…There's no need to kill each other. If it's something that great and powerful, why can't everyone use it?"

Kirei's eyes narrowed. "An obvious viewpoint, one I wish was true. However, that freedom is not available to us. The Holy Grail will choose the person most suitable to be its possessor. The seven Masters must compete, and in the ends, only one will be chosen to receive the power of the Grail. The Holy Grail, itself, is responsible for everything, be it choosing the seven Masters or summoning the Servants. This is the Holy Grail War; a spirit descending ritual whereby you are chosen by the Holy Grail and cross swords for its sole possession.

"Even if it only chooses one Master, there's no need to kill the other Masters," Shirou protested.

"There's no specific role that says all the other Masters must be killed off," Rin said, "But think about it. The Holy Grail is a spiritual object, and only Servants, who are also spiritual entities, can touch it."

Shirou suddenly got it. "So it's elimination of the Servants. As long as your Servant is the only one remaining, then they're the only one who can touch the Grail."

Rin nodded. "That's right. So potentially, you can go through the entire War and never kill a Master. You're brighter than I thought, Emiya-kun."

"You could've just told me that earlier," Shirou complained. "So even if you're participating in the Holy Grail War, it doesn't mean you'll die, right Tohsaka?"

Rin flushed. "D-don't… What are you saying idiot! I'm your enemy! Don't feel worried for me! I'd kill you if you hadn't saved me from Saber!"

Kirei watched his apprentice silently. His apprentice was not as tough and cold as she tried to be, he thought. This may be to become one of his greatest advantages later. He broke in, "Do you think you can defeat your own Servant, Emiya Shirou?"

Rin and Shirou halted in bickering and turned to the priest, startled. "Servants are very powerful. Not even the Servants themselves, let alone Masters, can defeat each other easily. However," he said slyly, "without Masters, Servants cannot exist on their own. Therefore…"

"Killing the Masters is the easiest way to defeat them," Shirou said glumly.

"Exactly right. But Servants that lose their Masters don't disappear immediately. They can still participate by making a pact with other Masters that still possess Command Seals. Servants that have lost their Masters and Masters that have lost their Servants can make a pact again. This way, they can rejoin the battle."

"So what happens if a Master uses all their Command Seals?" Shirou asked, curious despite himself. He told himself that he wouldn't participate in this War, but that prospect was slipping away faster and faster.

"Then they'd be a fool," Rin said bluntly. "No Master would do that in their right mind. They'd lose their rights to be a Master, and lose their only chance at the Holy Grail."

"Won't the Servants be freed and have the ability to make pacts with other Masters?" Shirou persisted.

"Exactly," Kirei answered. "If you use up your Command Seals, you will be released from the role of being a Master. Of course, like my so very intelligent apprentice stated earlier…"

"Shut up Kirei!" Rin yelped.

Chuckling with amusement, he continued, "…If there were such a magus, it would mark him as incompetent. No, a mere fool." He stared down at Shirou, a dark feeling permeating the air as Shirou tensed in anger. "If you were to do that, I would ensure your safety, as that is my role in this War, as has been the role of every supervisor before me. This is now the fifth time the Holy Grail is taking place in this city." He turned around and walked away. "The last war was ten years ago."

The fire ten years ago, to this day. Burning flesh, the screaming of helpless children and adults alike. Shirou yelled angrily, "Are you guys out of your minds? You're saying that you guys have done this four times already?"

"True, all the previous Wars did not end well. Magi were motivated by their own greedy desires, had forgotten what they had learned as magi, and began killing each other indiscriminately. Therefore, after the Third Holy Grail War, they assigned a supervisor to oversee the Holy Grail Wars. That was my father." He spread his arms out and stared upward through the skylight, the moonlight bathing his face, as if his father could be up there, staring proudly down at his son. "I am succeeding his duties."

Shirou was disgusted. "I see… this Holy Grail war is a pretty ill-natured ritual."

Kirei turned around. "Oh?" he said in a deceptively curious voice.

"Because… previous Masters were Magi that would break the rules, right?" Shirou's body tensed as he imagined the possibilities. "If those _people_ were to obtain the Holy Grail, then they could use it for their own personal desires? Wouldn't it be a disaster if the Holy Grail fell into the hands of people who could kill others to fulfill their desires?"

"Regardless of the personality of whoever obtains the Grail," Kirei said solemnly, "The Council of Mages will not intervene. All we regulate are the rules. If you do not like that idea, then win the Holy Grail yourself. That method is much more reliable than relying upon others."

"That's none of your business!" Shirou shouted angrily. "I don't have a reason to fight, and I don't have an interest for the Grail anyway!"

Kirei smirked and played his trump card. "So you won't be interested in whatever calamity the possessor of the Holy Grail brings?" He turned and stared right into Shirou's eyes. "So for example, you wouldn't be interested in something like what happened ten years ago, right?"

Shirou stiffened. He remembered the fire, the undeniable certainty that he would die, and yet he wanted to live. The fact that he had been the only survivor gnawed at him every day. A day ten years ago, where he survived by simply ignoring all those dying around him.

"At the end of the previous Holy Grail War, an unsuitable person touched the Holy Grail." Kirei curled his lip in distaste. "We don't know what that Master desired, we only know of the mark left behind by that disaster. The fire ten years ago was the result."

Anger built up in Shirou as his worst feelings were confirmed.

"That's right. The large fire, whose cause is still 'unknown', is exactly the mark left behind by the Holy Grail War."

Shirou started trembling with anger. Were these magi crazy! They continued to let the Holy Grail Wars go on, even when they cause disasters that kill dozens of people? He couldn't help but remember the fiery hell in which he'd been born. The burning of the fire, collapsed buildings, the suffocating smoke all around, the stench of melting and burning flesh. And the screams. The screams of help, of pain, of utter suffering. And…

"Emiya-kun, what's the matter?" Rin asked with concern. '_Emiya's shaking. Is there something wrong? Is he scared? No. That's not fear.'_

"Nothing. I'm fine," Shirou said as he looked towards Rin. '_He's lying,' _she thought. '_He's all tense. Something's really bothering him, and I just can't figure out what it is. Is it the fire?'_

"Then… what were the results of the last Holy Grail War?" Shirou stared at Kirei, hoping that something, anything, had at least come to benefit the world, something that justified the great fire that had completely consumed everything he'd known.

Kirei looked solemn again. With a sigh, he said, "There were none." Looking away, he continued, "Like I said, an unsuitable person touched the Grail. Another man touched it before the War reached its conclusion. However, that man kept avoiding battles, and as a result, the Grail did not fully form. Once all seven Servants are present, the Holy Grail will appear by itself once enough time has passed by. But the Holy Grail did not acknowledge the man that kept running away from battles as its possessor."

Rin lifted her hand and said, "In other words, even it you obtain the Holy Grail without fighting the other Masters, it's meaningless, right? The Master that got a hold of the Grail first was just a naïve person."

Shirou pieced it together. "Don't tell me that you were that Master!"

Rin inwardly cursed. '_Emiya, you idiot! You aren't supposed to know that Kirei was a Master!_'

Kirei merely smiled and said, "To a certain point." He sighed. "In the end, I lost my Servant and was protected by my father, who was the supervisor."

_'Liar,' _Shirou thought. '_Assassin didn't die.'_

Kirei bowed his head, and then turned and started walking away. "This is the end of our conversation. The only people who have the right to obtain the Grail are the Masters who have control over the Servants. When there is only one of you seven Masters left, the Holy Grail will appear before the winner."

He turned around and the air suddenly thickened. Shirou involuntarily gasped. The air was completely full of tension and he grew uneasy. Rin tensed beside him.

"I ask of you one last time. Emiya Shirou!" Kirei boomed. "As a chosen Master, do you have the will to fight in this Holy Grail War?"

Rin turned to look at him, and Shirou looked away uneasily. Could he do it? Did he really have the will to fight in this war? He already knew just how dangerous it was, his close brush with death earlier was evidence of that. He knew that he was a horrible Master for both Saber and Assassin; did they really deserve him, a total amateur, as a Master? He couldn't even replenish their mana, and he couldn't even dematerialize his Servants.

But could he just stand by and watch another Great Fire of Fuyuki occur? If he could prevent it by winning the war, then why shouldn't he at least try? Any chance at stopping a disaster like that should be taken. To prevent all that death and suffering he had gone through.

Reaching a decision, he looked up and stared at Kirei with conviction. "I will fight," he answered determinedly. Neither Kirei nor Rin looked surprised. "If the Holy Grail War was the cause of that large fire ten years ago, then I won't let something like that ever again!"

Kirei just stared back silently, eyes glinting in the soft moonlight. Rin sighed and smiled. "Well, it's settled," the girl said brightly. "Let's get going."

"Rejoice, young man." Kirei's powerful voice echoed behind them. "Your wish shall finally be granted."

With a shiver, Shirou turned back to stare at Kirei. He continued, "Without a clear prescence of evil, your wish cannot be granted. Even if it is something you can't accept, there is a need for evil to oppose justice."

_'Dammit! How does he know? The one fatal flaw to my ideals, that someone must be in danger to be saved!'_

"Your most noble wishes and your most disgraceful desires hold the same meaning. Do not worry; you do not need to amend them. The dilemma you possess is righteous…for a human."

Without a word, Shirou turned angrily and stalked out.


End file.
